The Cooking Chronicles: The Magical Fruit

After reading Mark Bittman’s Food Matters, I was inspired to try and incorporate more legumes into our diet (his goal was for every family in America to have a bag of cooked beans in their freezer). Cheap and healthy, it would also help add some variety into our meals. Although we did try many more recipes that featured beans and lentils, I typically fell back to using canned legumes. In 2012, a resolution of sorts is for me to plan ahead, and make it a habit to cook up dried beans in batches so that I can just pull out what I need from the freezer.

Although we’re only halfway through January, I’m off to a good start! One batch of brown lentils led to two different recipes, plus some to store away. We’ll see how the rest of the year plays out!

Lentil & Mushroom Bourguignon

Spilling the Beans, a cookbook from prolific blogger Julie van Rosendaal and Sue Duncan, provides a great introduction to how someone can seamlessly incorporate legumes into every day meals. I’ve already bookmarked quite a few recipes to try – the first was their lentil & mushroom bourguignon, which was, according to the sidebar, a recipe that their “carnivorous husbands” loved.

Though it’s not much to look at (especially because I didn’t have pearl onions on hand to liven it up – we just sauteed two onions at the start instead), the mushrooms melted down into the sauce, while the lentils still had a bite to them. Served over egg noodles, we enjoyed the dish as an enlightened alternative to the usual tomato-based pasta accompaniment. And yes, Mack can testify to the fact that he didn’t miss the meat at all!

Lentil & mushroom bourguignon

Lentil Cookies

The next night, I used a cup of the brown lentils in Bal Arneson’s recipe for lentil cookies, which I had wanted to try for some time. The even measurements make it quick to pull together (the only change I made was substituting dried cranberries for the slivered almonds, because of Mack’s allergy).

Sure, there is quite a bit of butter and sugar in the cookies, but between the lentils, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, cranberries and whole wheat flour, these were easily the healthiest cookies I have ever made. They were nutty and crispy, loaded with different textures and with the chocolate chips, really satisfying.

Lentil cookies

I brought part of the batch to a work meeting the next morning, and several of my coworkers asked for the recipe right away, particularly after I told them that they featured lentils as an ingredient. If you’re looking for a healthier snack, or breakfast for the road, these cookies would be perfect.

To T.O.: Tourism 101

Out of all the blog posts I write, I most enjoy recounting my travel experiences. If you are a regular reader, however, you know that this category is the most neglected. Because they are the most time consuming, I tend to procrastinate on them, a habit that is becoming worse as the years pass (I still haven’t finished writing about San Francisco, a year and a half later!). I hope to turn the tide with a short series on a week-long trip I took to Toronto in July 2011 to see my sister Amanda. Mack joined me there towards the end of my trip.

This wasn’t my first time to Toronto; I visited a friend for a few days back in 2006. It was a brief stay, but I managed to hit up some of the attractions that I had on my list at that time, including the Bata Shoe Museum and Casa Loma. This time around, although it really didn’t matter where we went, Amanda was game to look at her adopted city from a tourist’s perspective, and I was able to take in quite a bit of what Toronto had to offer.

Watching the Blue Jays

I’m not much of a baseball fan, but I’d never been to a Major League Baseball game before, and tickets were cheap – rail seats at the top level of Rogers Centre were just $10. It was also a beautiful night to be outside, not too muggy, with a breeze to cool things off just right.

Rogers Centre

The view of the CN Tower

All smiles!

The Seattle Mariners were in town, but the real star that night was Roberto Alomar, who watched the game from one of the sky boxes – he was in town to prepare for his entrance into the Hall of Fame at the end of the month.

Roberto Alomar!

I loved the jumbotron, and as a non-fan, being able to keep track of the players and their batting record so far that night – it really made it easier to get into the game. The other noticeable differences between this game and Capitals games I’d been to was the lack of aggressive beer sales in the stands and no “entertainment” between innings – mascot runs or little league pitchers or the like.

Batter up!

That said, I didn’t expect that number of extended innings – after runs in the first and second, it dragged on, scoreless, until the eighth, when tie runs resulted in extra innings. Five additional innings to be exact. Finally, after 14 innings and four and a half hours, Rajai Davis stole two bases and scored the winning run.

Finally

Being Part of a Live Studio Audience

I’m never really home during the day to watch CityLine, but I knew it was a lifestyle program, and that they filmed with a live studio audience. It seemed like it would be a fun way to spend a morning.

Holding room

After a short pep talk in the holding room, the audience (99% women) was herded down into the studio. Host Tracy Moore (a bombshell in real life – it’s hard to believe she had a baby a year prior) was gracious, welcoming everyone and making sure the audience felt comfortable.

With Tracy after the show

The topics explored in that particular episode (which would be aired exactly one week later), weren’t really of interest to either Amanda or myself – children’s activities, resistance training, pet safety issues and random kitchen tips – but it was interesting to see how the production crew had to scramble to arrange the different sets in the tight space.

Filming a segment on de-seeding tomatoes

And really, it was worth our time just for the parting gifts! We each received a $50 PetValu gift certificate and Body Shop package. Thanks, CityLine!

Experiencing the Humidity

Of all the weeks I could have gone, I ended up choosing the heat wave Toronto experienced last summer. Walking out of Amanda’s basement suite on the hottest of those days (in the morning, no less!), my camera lens literally fogged up when I took it out to snap a photo.

Seriously

Given it was +48 degrees with the humidity, people weren’t only joking about being able to fry eggs on the sidewalk – they were literally doing it.

Checking Out the View from the CN Tower

The mothership of tourist attractions in Toronto wasn’t really on my radar those first few days. But after seeing the CN Tower from almost every angle over the course of the week, we decided to just take the plunge…or rather, ascent.

The glass floor

As expected, the views were breathtaking, especially on such a clear day. Given it was the hottest day of the year, the outdoor platform/wind tunnel was also not a bad place to be.

Lake Ontario

Toronto from above

Visiting the St. Lawrence Market

Named by Food and Wine Magazine in 2004 as one of the “World’s 25 Best Markets”, we knew we’d have to check out the St. Lawrence Market on a bustling Saturday morning.

Outdoor arts and crafts vendors

Their produce was a sight for sore eyes – at that time in Edmonton, we didn’t have the same variety in our markets yet.

Ontario peaches (we noticed that there was a real emphasis on “Ontario” vs. “local”)

Multicoloured zucchini

Beans

Garlic scapes

The market was spread over several buildings, and was absolutely massive. The main building featured two levels, packed with permanent vendors that would enable anyone to do all of their grocery shopping in one trip. It reminded us of farmers’ markets in Calgary – imports like cheese and olives were permitted.

Rice vendor

Seafood

Whole pig, anyone?

Peameal bacon was everywhere in Toronto!

Yum…baked goods (yes, we indulged)

Great use of QR codes – links to the vendor’s recipes

Given how the market was such a tourist attraction, it was curious that there was no information table in sight – as a result, we couldn’t locate the one vendor we were looking for: Ewenity, a dairy cooperative which sells sheep’s milk ice cream.

We also ended up stopping into the St. Lawrence Market again on Sunday. The smaller building had been converted into an antiques fair. We didn’t buy anything, but we did did peruse the tables, and came across a Lucky Strike tin!

Antique fair

We had no idea Lucky Strike was a real company (we really miss Mad Men)

Taking in a Show

Toronto stages attract some big names, actors I wouldn’t have the opportunity to see in Edmonton. One example of this was Carrie Fisher, whose show, Wishful Drinking, was playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre that week. Based on her memoirs of the same name, Fisher discusses her family, personal life, career and mental health issues.

Wishful Drinking set

Mack and I are both fans of Star Wars, and though that part of her film career was referenced quite heavily in the play (i.e. the “social contract” she signed when agreeing to put on that metal bikini being that she would remain that shape for the rest of her life), we learned a lot more about her. She had many funny witticisms and wry observations (the most entertaining portion was “Hollywood 101”), and involved the audience at times as well. Fisher had a casual way about her, and it was clear that she was very comfortable with herself, her past and her ghosts. I’m glad we were able to go!

Dining with a Celebrity Chef

Or at least, dining in the restaurant of a celebrity chef. One of the only restaurants I had bookmarked prior to the trip was Lee Lounge. In March, I was fortunate enough to be invited to an Element of Taste with Chef Lee at NAIT, during his Chef in Residence tenure. He was humble, and from all reports, was a respectable teacher in the kitchen – I wanted to see if his restaurant lived up to the hype.

We arrived a half our before our reservation (the skies opened up just as we arrived), but were seated right away – later diners wouldn’t be so lucky, as the place was packed by the time we left. The interior was very dim (apologies in advance for the poor photos), but was tastefully decorated, with red accents and a wall-sized family photo at the entrance. And yes, Chef Lee was in the house! We saw him a few times checking in on things in the dining room.

The only blemish to our visit was the waitress – she pushed certain dishes (such as the Singaporean style slaw) much too hard, to the point where we felt guilty when we didn’t order it. All it did was communicate to us that it must have been his most profitable item.

But other than that, it was a note-perfect experience. The spicy crisp tofu was our favourite – well crusted on the outside, and silky smooth on the inside. The sauce also played between sweet and savoury flavours quite well.

Spicy crisp tofu

Mack in particular was looking forward to the cheeseburger spring roll (a single one for $7). It should have been pre-cut, but was flavoured with great spices, and really, we loved the idea of simulating a cheeseburger in another form. It begged the question – what other spring roll possibilities are out there?

Cheeseburger spring roll

The asparagus and green bean salad was wonderfully balanced – the vinaigrette first presented itself as tangy, but smoothed itself out. We also liked the braised beef ravioli, with thin skins that didn’t overwhelm the beef, and a slightly sweet finish.

Asparagus and green bean salad

Braised beef ravioli

We finished our meal with a banana cake, served warm, melding the fruit and chocolate in smooth and creamy bites.

Banana cake

We would recommend Lee Lounge – there is no doubt the care that goes into the food. That said, it wasn’t my favourite meal that I had in Toronto – I’ll be writing about that in another post!

Food Notes for January 16, 2012

Winter has finally arrived – can’t say we haven’t been spoiled up until now, though, so I think we can get through it. Stay warm! On to this week’s food notes:

Fork Fest is on! It runs January 15-19 and 22-26, 2012. Ten restaurants are participating; check out their menus online.
On January 25, 2012, Nomad is serving up a Robbie Burns supper, complete with haggis of course! The three-course dinner is $40.
Save the date: the Slow Food National Conference will be hosted in Edmonton this year, and you know what that means – good food! The gala will be taking place on May 5, 2012 at the Enjoy Centre, with dinner being overseen by Chefs Blair Lebsack and Paul Schufelt. Tickets go on sale March 1 – for more information, e-mail Valerie.
Bernard Callebaut announced the location of their new flagship chocolaterie this week, at 124 Street and Jasper Avenue. Although I think it will complement what is already in the area, a part of me wanted it to be closer to Kerstin’s – chocolate district, anyone?
From CBC: a whisky bar is forthcoming to 104th Street, and a sneak peek inside the Mercer Warehouse, where Roast Coffeehouse and a restaurant will open this year.
I had no idea you could get hand-pulled pretzels in Edmonton – check out Schneckels Pretzels!
The Queen of Tarts is now officially Dauphine.
The Journal loved Cibo Bistro.
I missed this last week, but it’s worth checking out if you love Mediterranean food – Vue Weekly reviewed Cafe Amore Bistro.
Is the concept of a Sunday night family dinner coming back in style? D’Lish has started offering it, Sundays from 5-10pm, and the Next Act and Ruth’s Chris have been serving it up for some time.
Liane had a great story about the “rise” of knives – it’d be great to see a specialty knife store open up in Edmonton.
Food Network is in town to film segments for its newest show, You Gotta Eat Here. It’s always great to see Edmonton presented on television – look for the episodes some time in the spring. Check out this Global interview with host John Catucci.
Marlow Moo went macaron making!
A bowl of homemade wonton soup would be perfect for a night like this – get Ming’s recipe here.
Love pie? Karlynn does too – and she will be sharing a new pie recipe with her readers every Friday.
Maybe we could bring the idea of a “coffee common” to 104th one day, given all the coffee shops we have brewing.
Speaking of coffee, Tim Horton’s is jacking their sizes up – their new extra large holds 24 ounces of coffee.
Does Paula Deen have diabetes?
Though we’ve never tried Papa John’s before, it’s always great to have another food option close by – this location opened next to MRKT on Jasper Avenue and 105 Street recently.

Papa John’s

I attended the City Market AGM last week – it looks like a focus this next year will be on increasing the foot traffic to the winter portion of the market at City Hall. Although the street market attracts an average of 17,000 visitors every week, they’ve only averaged 4,000 shoppers this winter.

New City Market insulated tote bags

On Saturday, I tried the Red Piano for the first time, for a friend’s stagette dinner. It’s clear entertainment and drinks are the focus, and not the food, given the average price of an entree and the fact that our food took over an hour to arrive. The short rib sliders were all right, but definitely needed the flavour boost from the au jus.

Short rib sliders

One of my teams at work had a belated holiday lunch at Sorrentino’s in Little Italy today. I enjoyed my pollo parmigiano and soup, but even more noteworthy was the service. Our server was exceptional, and handled our large group with ease and charm to spare.

Pollo Parmigiano (the roll was excellent)

Mack has been itching to go back to Mucho Burrito for some time, so I made sure to tuck one of their gift cards in his stocking this Christmas. We used it on Sunday, for a quick dinner before heading out to the Legislature grounds.

Happy with his burrito!

2012 Ice on Whyte

Mack and I braved the cold conditions tonight to take in Ice on Whyte. Had we known in advance exactly how cold it would be (-32 with windchill!), we may have thought better of it, but ignorance is bliss, right? So, with our warmest socks and thermos mugs, we were off.

First, we walked over to the Legislature to check out the special displays north of the river, which celebrate the twinning of our province with Heilongjiang, China.

Legislature grounds

Some signage would have been helpful, both in reaching the festival grounds as well as to guide us to the non-descript entrance. No admission was required for this portion of the event, and in spite of the weather, there were a number of people touring the snow and ice sculptures, and more in the heated tent where the Cygnets were performing on stage.

Heilongjiang Provincial People’s Congress Building and our Legislature (I loved the columns on the congress building)

Pandas!

The Cygnets (we loved the dance party to the side of the tent – with people in full parkas on, of course!)

We knew about the free High Level Bridge Streetcar rides available for festival goers to connect to the main site, but it wasn’t as evident in the signage as the Legislature grounds or where we caught the streetcar at Grandin Station. Although we missed the in-car entertainment for the evening (how cool would that be?!), it was still a neat experience to take the streetcar in the winter, after dark.

It was frosty inside the High Level Streetcar

We departed the streetcar at the Arts Barns, and walked over to the End of Steel Park. We’d never seen the festival so empty before (especially compared with last year), though I’m sure there would have been more patrons during the day.

End of Steel Park

The warming tent was a welcome reprieve from the chill, where hot beverages were being served for a donation. Some were less affected by the cold though – there was a little boy who was happily playing with snow blocks, oblivious to the swirling winds around him.

Pagoda

Dragon

There seemed to be a number of photographers out tonight too, with tripods trying to capture the best shots of the gleaming ice sculptures.

Mack’s favourite

My favourite (you can even see the flower stems in the pot!)

End of Steel Park is noticeably larger than the usual location of the festival, which allowed for a lot more space between sculptures. It also meant a larger ice slide could be accommodated – with four chutes! On fairer days, the line can be quite prohibitive, so we grabbed this opportunity to take a turn down the slide.

Massive slide

Whee!

Thanks to festival organizers for another great event – and a special kudos to the volunteers who staffed the festival, especially on a night like this.

Check out Mack’s photo set here. And if you do head to the festival, make sure to print off the 2-for-1 coupon here first!

No Tau Bay: Quan Pho

If one neighbourhood could particularly benefit from an “open house” event like Taste of Whyte or an organized food crawl, it would be the Avenue of Nations. Because of a transient population and a stigma of a high rate of crime, among other things, people often shy away from visiting the neighbourhoods of Central McDougall and Queen Mary Park (around 107 Avenue from 101 to 120 Streets). But by doing that, they are missing many great small businesses, many run by hard-working immigrant families.

However, I understand how the area can be intimidating to those who don’t often frequent it. So an event, which could include restaurants like Pho Huong and Mama Pizza, African Safari and Acajutla, would definitely help increase awareness of these gems, and perhaps help people realize that the neighbourhood is more than its reputation.

I was hoping to add relative newcomer Quan Pho (10117 107 Avenue) to this list. It opened up late last year, replacing a short-lived hot pot restaurant (and before that, Viet Huong Noodle House, which has since located to 98 Street). I have passed it many times on foot, and it always seemed to be populated with small groups – not a bad sign, especially in an area saturated with Vietnamese eateries.

My colleague Heather and I met some associates for lunch there on Friday afternoon, Quan Pho being new to all of us. The interior is clean and updated with comfortable leather chairs. Their three page menu was bright and easy to read, and featured a variety of vermicelli bowls, noodle soups and rice plates. I was happy to see the option of beef balls and brisket – my two favourite meats, rarely offered together ($6.50 for small, $7.50 for large).

Unfortunately, both Heather and I were quite disappointed with the food. She had ordered the bun with shrimp, grilled meatballs and a spring roll ($8.25). She commented that the meatballs in particular were more reminiscent of spam than the usual flavourful pork.

Vermicelli bowl with shrimp, meatballs and a spring roll

My large pho was actually quite small, in both size and meat quantity (and could be compared with the small at Pho Tau Bay). The meatballs were fine, but the brisket resembled well done flank more than anything else. And although there was a generous sprinkling of green onions, onions and cilantro, the broth itself was one-note, and not particularly fragrant or nuanced.

Pho with brisket and beef balls

Worst of all was the service – we received the impression that the server wanted to do anything but look us in the eye. When she first started delivering the dishes (which we ordered by number, as delineated on the menu), she wasn’t able to tell us which dish was associated with which number, and instead of double checking herself, handed us a menu. Later, when we requested the bill, she provided us with a hand written total of our entire meal, with no breakdown of individual dish cost.

My hope is that the server was having a bad day, or the kitchen was off that afternoon. But because it wasn’t a very positive experience, coupled with the fact that there are a number of establishments in the immediate area that offer better food and good service (Pho Huang/Mama Pizza and Pho Tau Bay come to mind), I’m not sure I’ll be back soon. A shame – for the neighbourhood and pho lovers in Edmonton.

Quan Pho
10117 107 Avenue
(780) 761-0402

The Cooking Chronicles: The Gift of Inspiration

I love receiving cookbooks as gifts; they’re usually thoughtfully chosen by the person with some knowledge of the gaps in my collection. One of the cookbooks I was given this past Christmas was The Ultimate Appetizers Book, by Better Homes and Gardens. Mack’s Mom thought as people who like to entertain (but don’t do it often enough!) it would be a handy guide to have on hand.

It’s been great to page through so far, with a coloured photo that accompanies every recipe. Moreover, the book is chock full of serving and plating ideas, visually appealing but more practical and less stylized than Donna Hay’s tips.

Soon after we returned to Edmonton, I tried out two of the soup recipes so that we would have lots of leftovers for work lunches and convenient suppers.

Chicken-Wild Rice Soup

The chicken-wild rice soup appealed to me primarily because we’ve had a bag of wild rice from MoNa Food sitting in our pantry for some time, having only been touched once. And although I am not a fan of wild rice on its own, I thought incorporating it in a soup would be easier to take, and also mean I’d have less of a chance of undercooking it! (This is a similar recipe, but simplifies the thickening step.)

Chicken-wild rice soup

This wasn’t a low-fat soup, with the incorporation of what was essentially a gravy (with heavy cream!) to thicken it towards the end. But chock full of vegetables and a variety of textures, Mack and I ended up really liking this soup (even the wild rice!).

Italian Sausage Soup

The use of orzo was the attraction of the Italian sausage soup, cooked with and not separate from the dish. Besides that, the ingredients were similar to many other tomato-based soups that we’ve made in the past.

Italian sausage soup

Mack particularly liked the orzo, and noticed that the soup really deepened after a few days in the fridge.

We’re happy that both of the recipes we tried from the book turned out really well, and will be trying out more in the next few months.

Time to Shabu-Shabu: Sabu Sushi Bar

Almost a year after Jill, Kathryn and I had decided that we would dine at Sabu Sushi Bar together, we finally made it to the restaurant.

Last Wednesday, the three of us met at the Korean-Japanese restaurant Sabu to sample shabu-shabu. Although my family indulges in Chinese-style hot pot every now and then, this was my first dalliance with the Japanese version of hot pot. Jill and Kathryn, on the other hand, having both visited Japan and Korea years ago, were familiar with shabu-shabu.

The interior of Sabu is warm and comfortable, in spite of the low ceilings. The wood paneling and furniture were simple and unfussy, though the panelled booths at the front of the restaurant were eye-catching.

Interior

It was a quiet evening inside the restaurant, with only three other parties that dined alongside us that night. This translated into attentive service though, and later, when it looked like we needed some assistance with our approach to shabu-shabu, we received some motherly guidance.

To whet our appetite, we shared an appetizer of agedashi tofu ($5.95). Lightly fried and served in a slightly tart sauce, they were a tasty way to start our meal.

Agedashi tofu

We were directed by our server to start with two servings of food to share between the three of us ($19.95/serving), indicating that we could easily add more meat, vegetables, or udon if we still felt hungry afterwards. So along with a tabletop gas burner and a pot filled with coffee-coloured seaweed-based stock, two platters arrived: one laden with frozen rolls of thinly-sliced beef and a brick of udon, and another with soft tofu and an assortment of vegetables, including enoki mushrooms, baby bok choy, suey choy, onions and carrots. We were also given two dipping sauces, a creamy sesame sauce and ponzu, as well as a ladle and some tongs.

Meat and udon

Vegetables

Our server was apparently mistaken when he directed us to start with the udon first (after the soup had come to a boil). Not a moment later, the matron of the restaurant swung by our table and told us that the noodles are typically the last to go into the pot, as they would benefit from being simmered in a broth that by that point would have been flavoured by everything else that had come before it. No matter, she said, and before we could blink an eye, had spooned some of the cooked noodles and soup into our bowls, and showed us how to prepare the meat – swished around in the broth just until its hue changed, then dipped into the ponzu. In rolled form, the meat was easy to handle, and cooked and eaten as directed, was moist and tender, with a briny kick from the ponzu.

Pot before

Jill said it best – she enjoys meals most when they are “experiences”, and shabu-shabu is a great example of a fun and interactive way to dine. Eating a little bit of this, a little bit of that, one fills up surprisingly quickly though!

Pot after

I loved how the soup gradually thickened, enhanced by the items that simmered away. Unlike the Chinese-style hot pot I am used to, where the base (usually water and some chili paste) is not consumed, this actually made more sense to me – enriched by vegetables and meat, the intensely-flavoured soup should be a part of the meal! Kathryn remarked, as we approached the end of our second batch of soup, that the broth tasted very similar to the rich, beefy stock used in French onion soup, salty and concentrated with flavour. And as we let the mixture continue to reduce down, it ended up creating a luxurious syrup that I thought twice about packing up to bring home – it would have greatly enhanced any homemade soup.

Glorious shabu-shabu residue

Sabu provided a great introduction to shabu-shabu; I can’t stop thinking about that broth! It was really reasonably priced too – each of us paid just over $20 each (including tip!). Think about making Sabu your destination on a cold winter’s night – you won’t regret it!

Sabu Sushi Bar
7450 82 Avenue
(780) 756-7228
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11am-3pm, 5-9pm; Friday: 11am-3pm, 5-10pm; Saturday 11am-3pm, 5-10pm; Sunday: noon-8pm; closed Tuesdays

Food Notes for January 9, 2012

Fork Fest is coming, January 15-19 and 22-26, 2012, with prix fixe menus priced at $25 and $45. Less than a week away, it’d be nice if the menus were already up on the website, but they’re usually tardy.
Mark your calendars: Big City Sandwich will be hosting their next pop-up on January 22, 2012 at the Billiard Club (tequila lime chicken sandwich, anyone?). Mack and I attended the first kitchen takeover, and it was a delicious experience.
Valerie sent me a note about Dishcrawl, a San Francisco-based company that organizes restaurant crawls all across North America. Their first Edmonton event takes place on January 25, and is nearly sold out! Great to hear there is an appetite for this kind of “communal” dining.
We were happy to hear that Filistix is expanding their campus kiosks to include a location downtown, at Grant MacEwan’s Robbins Health Learning Centre. Check them out when they open on January 23!
Liane wrote that Culina Muttart started dinner service! Look for a seasonal menu every Thursday night from 5-9pm (I hope the City of Edmonton page is updated to reflect these changes, too).
Liane posted that Packrat Louie purchased Cafe Select downtown.
CHARCUT, pioneers of the alley burger, are following another trend this time around: the pop-up restaurant. CHARPOP runs January 15-17, 2012. The location is secret, and only accessible on their website with a password e-mailed to patrons lucky enough to score a reservation.
Mack sent me an article in Alberta Venture about the success of Bles Wold, a local dairy (who happens to make our favourite yogurt!).
Save the date: after a successful inaugural event last year, held on April 30, 2011, Eat Alberta will be returning to Edmonton on April 14, 2012. More details will be released soon, but if you want to be among the first to be informed, consider joining our mailing list.
I watched the first episode of You Gotta Eat Here last week. Host John Catucci has a good energy, and the production quality seems high (if I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives). My only minor disappointment was that they seemed to want to do too much, and showcase too many dishes. I thought there were some opportunities to focus more on each element the restaurants made from scratch that they used to build their menu (e.g. sausages, corn bread). What did you think?
With the movement towards foraged foods, this is a reminder that it can go horribly wrong when the proper knowledge isn’t applied – two patrons in Australia died after ingesting poisonous mushrooms foraged by a chef.
The space that formerly housed The Butler Did It (10130 105 Street) is getting a makeover. As reported in January/February issue of The Tomato, “Brad Smoliak is cooking up something…Expect a research and development kitchen, cooking lessons, events and private dinners come March.”

Something’s cooking…

We stopped inside Cafe Tiramisu (10750 – 124 Street) to take a peek – the space is bright lovely, and features a separate playroom for children. Mack and I will be back to sample the menu (which a coworker has told me is quite good).

Interior

Playroom

On the way back from the City Market, we stopped inside the food pavilion at Metropolis on Saturday. Both Molly’s Eats and Eva Sweet were there – nice to have the presence of food truck vendors even in the middle of winter!

Eva Sweet at Metropolis

Mack and I had lunch at Joey’s two weeks ago while shopping in South Common (it was a good excuse to use up a gift card we received two Christmases ago!). It’s been quite some time since we’d been there, with the menu having changed quite a bit. It was interesting to see a miso ramen on the menu – perhaps this speaks to the ramen really becoming a mainstream dish?

Mack’s lobster grilled cheese

My mushroom soup and Caesar salad

Although Mack’s already had half a dozen (if not more), I really enjoyed my first Credo coffee of 2012 last week.

Vanilla latte

Deep Freeze 2012

Mack and I had great intentions to make it out to the Deep Freeze Festival on Saturday night (three words: Bailey’s Ice Bar!), but after a morning of running errands, we ended up taking it easy the rest of the day. This morning, however, we decided it was simply too beautiful outside not to take advantage of it, so off to Alberta Avenue we went.

Jousting

What a difference one year makes – our first time at the festival last year saw us trudging through several feet of snow, in temperatures of –20 with windchill. This year? Clean pavement, sunny skies, and temperatures warm enough to melt the snow and ice sculptures that were on display.

Wagon rides (look at that sky!)

Of course, we weren’t complaining, and neither were the hefty crowds! There were at least double the numbers on the grounds this year, all taking advantage of our unseasonably balmy winter. We saw several people flaunting shorts, and even one man brave enough to sport flip flops!

Mack behind the soon-to-be-liquid bar

Formerly frozen x’s and o’s

I’m not sure if the organizers knew how warm it would be, but their “Surf’s Up: a Snow to Sand Winter Adventure” theme ended up being rather fitting. At the rate some of the displays were melting, we were sure they wouldn’t last another day.

Still at it (Mack liked how patrons could text in votes for their favourite sculptures)

But they did their best to manage the thaw – the ice slide had been decorated with pine trees and dressed with slabs of snow to disguise its rapidly deteriorating structure. And really, the kids didn’t seem to mind – they were having a blast! The skating and curling surfaces also seemed to hold up well, though we didn’t partake in either.

Rinks

Hurry hard!

What I couldn’t resist was Vlad’s Village Pig ($7 for pork on a bun). Roasted on a spit on-site, we were lucky to end up with a fresh piece of pork, carved off the third (and final) pig. Our serving had some of the succulent meat, and quite a bit of the crispy, flavourful skin. Score!

Carving up a storm

A volunteer holds up one of the pig heads (we were told that the snout has qualities in it to prevent illness – haven’t heard that before)

My sandwich!

Based on how packed the Community Hall was, we think this festival might be outgrowing its space – which is a good thing, because Deep Freeze is a gem that we hope more people discover. See you next year!

The Cooking Chronicles: Homemade Hamburger Helper

One afternoon, Mack remarked that he was craving Hamburger Helper. It wasn’t something he had a lot growing up, but then again, a desire for beefy, cheesy pasta is probably not that out of the ordinary!

We had some ground beef (remnants of our cowshare) in the fridge, so hit the internet in search of recipes. We came upon a goldmine put together by a blogger whose children love all incarnations of Hamburger Helper. Since that day, we’ve tried two of her recipes.

Homemade Chili Cheese Hamburger Helper

Given how easy this was to pull together, I had to wonder why people would turn to the boxed version at all. With basic pantry ingredients and a few spices, we had a satisfying lunch ready in half an hour (and yes, it did hit the spot for Mack!). It’s amazing what corn starch can do as a thickener.

Homemade chili cheese hamburger helper

Homemade Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper

Of the two, this was my favourite. Two full cups of mushrooms melted away during the cooking time, and the egg noodles worked well enveloped in the creamy sauce. And by using non-fat milk, it resulted in a dish that didn’t taste all that heavy.

Homemade beef stroganoff hamburger helper

As the blogger mentions, these aren’t “inventive gourmet meals.” But for picky eaters (or to satisfy random cravings), they are great to turn to in a pinch!

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